Campus Health resources dedicated to informing the general public about how to recognize and respond to medical emergencies

Cardiac and Stroke Emergencies

Adapted from the American Heart Association

Heart Attack Warning Signs

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.

As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Stroke Warning Signs

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, call 511 from a campus phone, (215) 573-3333 from any other phone in the Penn Patrol Zone, or 911 outside of the Penn Patrol Zone. Even if you are not sure you are experiencing a heart attack or stroke, it is always better to err on the side of caution – not all patients experience all of the warning signs, and some of the symptoms may come and go. New medical treatments and medications can benefit heart attack and stroke victims immensely, but they must be given relatively quickly after the heart attack or stroke symptoms first appear.

Cardiac Arrest Signs

• Sudden loss of responsiveness (no response to tapping on shoulders).
• No normal breathing (the victim does not take a normal breath when you tilt the head up and check for at least five seconds).

Cardiac arrest occurs suddenly and without warning. If you know CPR, begin it immediately while somebody calls 511 from a campus phone, (215) 573-3333 from any other phone in the Penn Patrol Zone, or 911 outside of the Penn Patrol Zone. Many campus buildings have AEDs (check below) – if one is nearby, turn on the AED and follow the spoken instructors to check for a shockable rhythm. If MERT is called, they will arrive with an AED and continue CPR until the patient can be transported to the nearest hospital.